Fugazi: 'I didn't ask for his endorsement'

Friday

Jul 4, 2014 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - City Council candidate Christina Fugazi said Thursday she was "surprised" when she learned Mayor Anthony Silva missed a council meeting this week on the same evening he helped out at a fireworks stand and showed up at a Neighborhood Watch gathering.

Roger Phillips

STOCKTON - City Council candidate Christina Fugazi said Thursday she was "surprised" when she learned Mayor Anthony Silva missed a council meeting this week on the same evening he helped out at a fireworks stand and showed up at a Neighborhood Watch gathering.

Silva was criticized this week by several council colleagues who questioned his "priorities." The mayor defended himself, saying he had been ill all day Tuesday and only briefly got out of bed to make short stops at the fireworks stand and the community gathering.

At the Neighborhood Watch meeting, Silva endorsed the City Council candidacies of Rick Grewal and Fugazi, the latter of whom was present at the Weston Ranch gathering.

On Wednesday evening, Fugazi tried unsuccessfully several times to respond to an interview request about the mayor's visit to Weston Ranch. When reached Thursday morning, Fugazi said she had no idea Silva had planned to attend the Neighborhood Watch meeting. Fugazi said she went to the meeting in response to an invitation she received from the host, Weston Ranch resident Zoyla Moreno.

"I didn't know the mayor was going to be there, I didn't have any control of what he said, and I didn't ask for his endorsement," Fugazi said. "As a (Stockton) Planning Commissioner, my work speaks for itself. I have been committed as a Planning Commissioner and as a teacher. Programs like Neighborhood Watch are vital to fighting crime."

The Stockton Police Department this week criticized Silva for making political statements at what was meant to be an anti-crime community event. Of Silva's appearance in Weston Ranch, Fugazi said, "I was surprised he didn't attend (that night's council meeting) but he did not look well, I'll tell you that. He was scruffy, in flip-flops and a T-shirt."

Fugazi is running for the council's District 5 seat against incumbent Dyane Burgos Medina. Fugazi recently complained to organizers of the city's Cinco De Mayo parade after learning Burgos Medina had not paid the $125 fee to ride in the event.

"My reaction only was I want to make sure we're all playing by the same rules, that there is a level playing field and we are all held to the same standards," Fugazi said.

Burgos Medina ultimately paid the fee. She said she did not initially pay because she was uncertain whether she was required to do so. She said her confusion was over whether "dignitaries," including those who hold elected office, were required to pay.

"Some people are candidates and dignitaries, but it's kind of unclear whether those people have to pay," Burgos Medina said. "I wasn't charged and I was in the parade, and afterward I was told it was becoming an issue. The application was a little unclear, but I paid the day I found out that I needed to."

Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or rphillips@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/phillipsblog and on Twitter @rphillipsblog.